Orlando excursions worth it

We are planning on going on Port Canaveral/Orlando excursions to Disney/Universal and was wondering if it's worth the effort? We are scheduled to dock at 12:00PM and are due back on the boat for 9:00PM. It's roughly 1 hour of travel there and back which leaves 7 hours in total. If so, how organized is the shuttle back and forth to the theme parks?

i am in serious need of some opinions on this too. I am planning on booking the excursion at the latest wednesday. I have heard mixed opinions on cc and it seems a lot of them have to do with the time of year, and method of transportation. People who went over the summer found there was not enough time to visit all the attractions at the park of their choice. Some people were even shut out of the park, as the park at hit max capacity. :eek: But then again, i would expect that its summer, kids are off etc....

i read people who went in early spring had a fine time and were able to do 'enough' to make it worth it. I will be going in November and i know from experience that disney is slower that time of year and not nearly as busy as some other times, so this is the only reason im considering it, actually worth it.

Then, i just read a current review today from a solo traveler who went to (specifically) epcot. He rented a car and drove and thought that it wasnt worth the money spent for the short amount of time he actually had in the park (he only did 3 rides?).

Ive read on other boards about decent arrival times using the cruise lines transportation. But many advise to try and get on that first bus out to the parks (they will wait for the bus to fill COMPLETELY before it leaves, you could potentially be waiting a while).

So anyone have any advice for us? or have experience going to the parks through the cruise line this time of year ?

I don't have any experience doing the cruiseline excursions, as every time I've made port at Port Canaveral I've purposefully avoided doing a parks excursion. For me, it would be sheer torture to have only 5-6 hours to spend at Disney; just not enough time to do much of anything, IMHO. YMMV

Love Disney, hate waiting in lines. Having to wait, especially if you get there in the afternoon, can't see paying that much to get that little. If you have kids along, not my cup of tea for such a short visit.

I haven't been on this excursion, but got to WDW & UO often. TBH, I wouldn't book a tour like this, but I have other options for seeing the parks. If you've never been to WDW, this may be a good chance to do so. Going in the off season would help. In 7 hrs., you could see most of Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. If Magic Kingdom is a must, I wouldn't plan to see everything. You also wouldn't see everything at Epcot in that amount of time. Park hopping would mean you will see little in any of the parks. I would only do that, if you'd be happy riding a couple rides in each of two Disney parks. You also mentioned Universal. I don't really understand which parks you are considering visiting? You can see a lot of Universal Orlando or Islands of Adventure in the allotted time. If you're only interested in the headliners, purchasing an Express Pass for everyone in your party will be your best shot at seeing both parks in one day. Naturally, you'd have to move quickly, eat on the run & skip the minor attractions. Combining a visit to any Disney park with a visit to a Universal park in the same day shouldn't even be considered.

In the old days I remember this itinerary from NYC and we arrived much earlier than Noon, allowing for a full day.

Curious as to why NCL can not arrive earlier than Noon--I suppose staying later would not work that well--they could of course leave at 10 Pm instead of 9 PM

In the old days I remember this itinerary from NYC and we arrived much earlier than Noon, allowing for a full day.

Curious as to why NCL can not arrive earlier than Noon--I suppose staying later would not work that well--they could of course leave at 10 Pm instead of 9 PM

If I'm remembering correctly, they were required to reduce speed because of whale migration -- I kid you not. This could be why they're now getting in at noon instead of earlier.

If I'm remembering correctly, they were required to reduce speed because of whale migration -- I kid you not. This could be why they're now getting in at noon instead of earlier.

I remember that too!

If I'm remembering correctly, they were required to reduce speed because of whale migration -- I kid you not. This could be why they're now getting in at noon instead of earlier.

I remember that too!

Good! I'm glad I'm not crazy. :p

Did Universal Studios Islands of Adventure (March) and thought it was worth it. I went on many rides and shows (Harry Potter, Spiderman, Jurassic Park, Sinbad, Poseidon) but didn't attempt to go on them all. If you have a plan, you can do a lot.

Considering admission alone to Universal's Islands of Adventure is $128 for a one day adult pass, the ship excursion for $164 is "worth it" considering it includes the 90 minute coach bus ride. You might want to look at purchasing an express pass ($20-$50 depending on demand) which speeds you through on a separate shorter line (except on Harry Potter) if you know the park will be busy. In for a penny in for a pound?

Note that Universal's Islands of Adventure is a separate theme park from Universal Studios Florida. Make sure you choose the correct one if you decide to go.

Another year, we did Epcot (November) and I found it rather boring because it seem more tailored for educational activities for children when compared to the thrill rides of Universal Studios IoA.

Agree with other poster - No way you should consider doing more than one park. IMO attempting to do everything even in a single park would be too rushed.

I will have a stop there on my Dec. cruise, but for me the whole rushing and worrying thing totally kills it for me. I'm sure it would be fun if you are easygoing and that wouldn't bother you- for me, I'll take a lazy day on the ship!

Note that Universal Studios Islands of Adventure is a separate theme park from Universal Studios Florida. Make sure you choose the correct one if you decide to go.

 

Universal park names can be confusing. The entire complex is Universal Orlando. The parks are Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure.

Universal park names can be confusing. The entire complex is Universal Orlando. The parks are Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure.

Yeah it's confusing (intentionally?), and my point being that a ship excursion allows you entrance into one not both, so it's important to pick the right one when you book the excursion.

Universal's Islands of Adventure has Harry Potter and that was the main draw for me. :D

The only caveat I would give would be for Animal Kingdom, it closes fairly early this time of year, check on their site, I believe it's like 5:30, so you would really have very little time there and I'm not sure how often the buses run to take you back to the ship. Using at least the transportation from the ship excursion is worth it, only because then you know they will get you back in time. If you drive on your own, it can be very risky, hence what happened to a poster who mentioned they only had time for 3 rides. They had a long wait for a rental car, had to head back early to turn in said rental car, and had to catch a cab back to the port. Epcot is just wrapping up their Wine & Food festival, which is extremely crowded this time of year, as my brother and sister in law have season passes and have been going frequently. I'm not sure how much longer it is going on, but I'm sure they have it posted on the website.

We did Universal (just the Islands of Adventure portion) on our Gem cruise. After much research, we decided to purchase our park tickets from AAA (gave a $4 per ticket discount, and we had them in our hands before reaching the park...meaning NO WAITING ON TICKET LINE!!) We literally walked right in park, no lines, no wait.

We hired a town car to pick us up at the pier. For our family of 3, it was only a bit higher than the ships excursion price for transportation to parks. If you have a larger group, it actually costs less than taking the bus. You just have to be sure you make it back to the ship on time, as if your independent excursion is late, the ship doesn't wait. We made it back in plenty of time, received door to door service. Excellent!

Please look in my signature for my Gem review. I have photos and info on our trip including Universal and the limo company. Enjoy your cruise!

We did Universal (just the Islands of Adventure portion) on our Gem cruise. After much research, we decided to purchase our park tickets from AAA (gave a $4 per ticket discount, and we had them in our hands before reaching the park...meaning NO WAITING ON TICKET LINE!!) We literally walked right in park, no lines, no wait.

 

We hired a town car to pick us up at the pier. For our family of 3, it was only a bit higher than the ships excursion price for transportation to parks. If you have a larger group, it actually costs less than taking the bus. You just have to be sure you make it back to the ship on time, as if your independent excursion is late, the ship doesn't wait. We made it back in plenty of time, received door to door service. Excellent!

 

Please look in my signature for my Gem review. I have photos and info on our trip including Universal and the limo company. Enjoy your cruise!

On our ship excursion to Islands of Adventure, they gave out the park admission tickets on the bus ride over. No waiting in line to purchase tickets either.

I have never done an excursion like this from a cruise ship, but I have been to Disney more times than I can count. I feel like there just wouldn't be enough time to bother with this excursion. The bus ride alone is way too much $$, imo. You could rent a car, for a lot less and likely get to the Orlando area a lot faster than taking the bus that the cruise line offers. We are on the Breakaway in Dec, and we rented a minivan for $66 for our entire family! We plan to go to down town Disney, shop, eat walk around, and maybe even take the monorail to a few of the hotels.

I did the Disney excursion on my Jewel cruise in Feb. I booked through NCL while I was onboard. When I was in Port Canaveral the ship was leaving at 10:00pm. We had to be onboard by 9:30. The current BA itinerary leaves port at 9:00pm which you'll have to be onboard by 8:30pm. We also docked at 12:00pm. I was on the first bus to Disney and I was in Magic Kingdom by 1:25. It's about an hour ten min ride. When you book through the ship you can only pick 1 park to visit. The buses leave you at the transportation ticketing station in Disney and you either take the monorail to Magic Kingdom or Epcot or the Disney bus transportation to one of the other parks. You need to get the bus back to the ship where it left you. You get your ticket to whatever park you visit on the bus. You don't need to wait on line to buy a ticket into the park. The last bus was leaving to go back to the ship at 8:15pm. Since the BA leaves now at 9:00 the last bus will prob leave about 7:15. I think the busses started heading back to the ship around 7:00pm. I can't remember the exact time it started. I just remember the last bus was leaving at 8:15.

I love Disney and was there 6 months prior my Jewel cruise. We had no kids with us on our Jewel cruise. We were just 2 adults. We enjoyed ourselves. I had fun. You won't be able to do everything in the park if it's crowded. Depending on the time of year you go. I was there President's Week. VERY crowded that week!!

The company that NCL uses is VERY organized. They give you all info needed and a phone number in case your running late or miss the bus. You can also book just the bus to Disney if you can purchase a ticket beforehand cheaper (my union has a discount on tix).

We are planning on going on Port Canaveral/Orlando excursions to Disney/Universal and was wondering if it's worth the effort? We are scheduled to dock at 12:00PM and are due back on the boat for 9:00PM. It's roughly 1 hour of travel there and back which leaves 7 hours in total. If so, how organized is the shuttle back and forth to the theme parks?

I was in Port Canaveral in October and went to Disney. NCL is very organized and you are right off the boat as soon as it is docked and onto the buses, basically before anyone else. In terms of time, 6-7hrs is a long time in the park. I was on the Jewel and 3 busses went to Disney. They take you to the transfer station where you can quickly go anyway. (Went to Epcot) On the way back, once a bus is full it leaves for the people who only want to be there for 3-4hrs.

Overall, it went great and was a blast!!!

Thanks for all the information.....A great deal to think about.

It really depends on the time of year you are cruising. If its during spring break or summer, expect to be in lines of 45-60m average. Some are way longer. Also, depending on age group you are traveling with would depend on park choice for me. IoA is mostly roller coasters and thrill rides, so if you're traveling with young children, it's prob not your best bet.

Also, in either of the Universal parks you can buy a fast pass. It's about $60pp but cuts down your wait times.

Just know with the time allotted, you won't be able to see the whole park.

Thanks for all the information.....A great deal to think about.

The Disney park to visit for the first time, arriving mid-day will overwhelm anyone... Plus the fast passes will all have been issued to all the popular rides and attractions. When 90% of the visitors arrive before 8am... your going to be at a distinct disadvantage...

Heck, it takes several hours just to figure out where things are....It is not large its 4 largess put together about the size of an major city !!!

Go see Cape Canaveral its right there and a more realistic day trip... not Disney. Also don't confuse Disney visits to Universal park.... Disney is 5 times the size